Chasing Shadows
by Of Wizards and Phoenixes
Summary: Blake ran after the battle of Beacon. Yang knew that. What she didn't know was why? Yang knew her mother was out there, Qrow had told her as much. What she didn't know was why? When Yang is offered the chance to answer these questions, will she take it? Even if it means losing herself along the way... [Rated M for swearing and violence. May contain NSFW scenes in the future]
1. A Bird Calls

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing but the plot. The wonderful characters and settings of the RWBY universe belong to Monty Oum and RoosterTeeth.

 **A/N** : Here we are! This is my first fanfiction so constructive criticism is always appreciated. I hope you enjoy reading this fic as much as I enjoy writing it. I will try and update at least once a week.

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Chasing Shadows

Chapter One: A Bird Calls.

Winter came far too quickly for Yang. The season itself never bothered her, the biting winds and the lasting ice was of no discomfort to a girl who regularly set herself on fire. It was what winter symbolised that got to Yang. It was as if she was watching her struggles personified by the season outside. The usually bright trees were dead, the snow outside blackened with soot from the log fire that burned in her living room. Winter was usually so pristine and beautiful, the perfect time for her and Ruby to play and laugh outside. Now it all seemed so bleak.

Yang wiggled her stump, flexing the non-existent fingers of her right arm. It brought some relief, as if she had stretched an actual limb, but of course she knew it to all be in her head. There was nothing there, her daily reminder of the true cost of her failure.

She had failed. Yang knew this to be true. No one blamed her of course, on the outside at least. If she'd been given a lien for every time she heard "this wasn't your fault" or "there was nothing you could've done" she'd have more than enough to afford a half decent mechanical replacement. Still, she knew she had failed. If she had stopped Adam she could've taken more out Grimm, saved more lives. Weiss might still be with them, instead of back home in her fathers iron grasp. If the four of them had been together, maybe Pyrrha would still be here, they might have gotten to her in time… maybe Blake…

No.

She wouldn't blame herself for Blake running. There was no one to blame but her for that. Yang had believed in this girl, she had poured her heart and soul into protecting her from the evils of the world. She had kept her secret and trusted her with her own. She had loved her.

She had not received the same kindness.

She had been abandoned again. It was a recurring theme around her, something she probably should have expected by now. Her mum, Summer and Blake had all left, right when she needed them the most. Her father had abandoned her for many years, maybe not the same physical abandonment as the other, but it stung just the same. People earned her trust, dug beneath the self-protecting smile to sit somewhere in her heart and then abandoned ship. At least that's what it felt like right now.

Ruby was the latest one to abandon her.

She wasn't stupid. Yang still checked on Ruby when she wasn't looking, glancing in her room at night as she wondered the house to check the nightmares hadn't come back for her too. She had heard Qrow talking to her, explaining how she was special. She had heard him plant the breadcrumbs for her to follow, he wasn't stupid either, he knew Ruby would head to Haven the moment he mentioned it. She had seen Jaune arrive outside, Nora and Ren strolling close behind. If they were trying to be inconspicuous, they had failed. Yang had been partnered with a true ninja; she had thought she had learned to see through even her shadows. She had been wrong. Nevertheless even Ren's stealth capabilities were a pale comparison to hers.

Even as her father came tearing from Ruby's room, the sound of smashing dishes still ringing around the house she knew it was too late. There was no way for him to catch them at this point. It was the first time she had seen genuine concern and actions from her father for a long time; the fact that is was for ruby and not her no longer mattered, she had accepted herself to be second best long ago. She had been okay with that; her job was to protect Ruby, and that was what she would do. Now however Ruby was gone like the rest, Yang had done her best and was no longer needed, Ruby would make her own way in the world just fine, especially with Qrow watching out for her.

It was only a single tear that dropped at this revelation. She was no longer needed. She glanced at her stump; she was no longer of use even if she was needed. There was no place for her anymore. Not even here, the place she called home. She watched her father run up the snowy path with mild curiosity, wondering if he would run as fast if it had been her who had run away.

"I'm glad you took your fathers name" came a voice from her doorway.

Yang was shocked. She jumped in the sheets and immediately flicked both her wrists to load Ember Celica, only to remember she was not wearing the one gauntlet she had left. She knew who the voice belonged to, but she still couldn't believe it. She had to see it with her own eyes.

There she was, in her doorway.

Her mother.

The white Grimm mask was gone, leaving only the oddly familiar face she knew so well and yet knew so little of. It was the first time she had ever seen her mothers face in person, yet it seemed as if she had seen it a thousand times before. She had in fact, thinking back to the days when the picture of team STRQ took pride of place in the room she shared with Ruby. She had seen the face a thousand times in her dreams.

She didn't know how to feel in that split second, her mother was as much a mystery to her as anything. She could have no idea as to why she was here after all these years.

"Why do you care?" She asked, finally finding her voice again. Even to her own ears it sounded hollow, a stark contrast to the burning anger she always had when they conversed in her dreams.

"You're pathetic Yang. If I hadn't given birth to you myself I'd question if you were really my daughter. I'm still questioning it despite that fact." Her voice was hard and cold, quite the opposite of how a mother should speak.

She didn't have the strength to argue right now. It was too much, she was already broken and all her mother could do now was stamp on the pieces. "Yep, that's me. If you'd been around maybe you would have noticed thats who I am now. A pathetic little girl."

"Is that how you want it to be?"

She hadn't been prepared for a response like that. She didn't really know what she had been prepared for.

"I don't really have a choice. You might not have noticed but the universe seems have painted a big 'aim here' sign over my head. I've lost my team. Two of my friends are dead, my partners disappeared and my sister's gone off to save the world without me because I've only got half a _fucking_ arm!" She had found the energy to scream from somewhere, but it added little to her voice, she still sounded as hollow and lifeless as ever.

"For all your faults, you've never backed down from a fight. You have power Yang, you have rage. Use it, let it drive you like it once did."

Yang scoffed. "Look where that got me" she said, gesturing half-heartedly to the stump that was her right arm.

"Because you are wild and uncontrolled. Even now you refuse to listen and learn. Let it _drive_ you Yang, not _control_ you."

Yang could do little more than scoff again. "What's the point? Ruby's the special one; she's the one with the power and the heart to save the world. I'm not needed anymore. It's been made clear to me now that I'm disposable, a stepping stone for people with bigger and better destinies."

Raven remained as neutral faced as always, but Yang had seen the quiver of her lips, the slight snarl that appeared when she spoke of her uselessness. "You truly are a fool, just like your father and my brother, just like Ozpin. You think Ruby is the only one who is special? You think of all Remnants myths and legends, only two are true? You are special Yang. More special than even the maidens or the silver eyed warriors. You are unique."

"You'll forgive me if I don't believe a word you say"

"What reason would I have to lie to you Yang? I do this because you have a far larger place in the coming battle than even I know. Ozpin, Qrow, your father have all allowed their vision to become focussed, closed to the outside world and other possibilities. They have found their saviour and need not consider any other option!"

"Oh of course you're doing this for totally unselfish reasons. In fact, I think I've got a worlds best mum mug I've been meaning to give you since I was five lying around here somewhere, seems like you deserve it now."

"You are stubborn Yang. You get that from me. You are strong willed, you get that from me too. But you're stupid, and arrogant, hot-headed and rash. You get those from your father. Right now you're nothing but a coward; to afraid to pick herself of the floor and dust herself off… you get that from your father as well."

Yang wanted to argue, but she couldn't find fault with her mother's words. There was no lie to be found and she did not have the strength to deny the truth, no matter how ugly it may be.

"If you are ready to be powerful. To never let that (she pointed to Yang's stump) happen again. To take vengeance on your enemies and the enemies of this world… call for me. I have saved you once, now I offer you this chance; there will not be a third time."

From her side she drew her sword, slowly and purposefully. Yang watched as the red dust solidified to make a sword of daunting length, the same sword than had driven Neo to flee without a fight. She watched, mesmerised as her mother swung it through the air, opening a swirling mass of red and black into which she prepared to walk.

Yang couldn't stop herself, the words left before she even knew she was speaking. "Do you regret it?"

Raven stopped, her beaded necklace clicking ever so slightly as she turned her gaze back towards Yang, silently telling her to be more specific. Yang turned her gaze to the bed sheets; she could not bare to meet her mothers red eyes.

"Saving me, I mean?"

It seemed the question truly gave the older woman pause. Her eyes lost the malicious red tint they seemed to always have and became more inquisitive, as if she was visually searching her own mind for the answer. Eventually she spoke.

"That remains to be seen. I do not enjoy wasting time that could be better spent on my mission. I hope you will not prove to be such a waste Yang, I truly do"

Downstairs her father barged back in the front door; a whoosh of cold air filled the small wooden house as the wind fought its way inside behind him. He called up to her, but she did not answer. She turned back to her mother to find only empty space where she once stood.

"Yang! Honey! Are you okay?" His voice carried up the stairs, it was warm and caring unlike her mothers, but still seemed distant to her all the same.

"I'm fine. Did you find Ruby?" She knew the answer even as she asked the question, but it was better to play the fool lest he discover she knew Ruby was leaving and did nothing to stop her.

"No. Qrow contacted me, he's watching over her so we'll just have to trust him."

Yang was scornful in her mind. She was seething that once again her father refused to take responsibility for his own kids, choosing instead to pawn them off on the nearest responsible adult. He had trusted Qrow with there safety before and Yang had lost an arm under his care. Ruby had been unharmed, so she took comfort in knowing at least Qrow cared enough to see her safe. She had always known where his priorities lie when it came to the two of them and it wasn't with her.

Her father entered the room, a warm cup of steaming tea held in his hands, a cup which he gently placed on her bedside table. The soothing aroma of her special blend of spices, too hot for normal mouths was a welcome relief to the dreary, stale smell of wintery snow coming through the tiny gap in her window.

"Do you know where she's gone?" He asked as he sat on the edge of her bed, just far away enough so that he did not invade her personal space.

"No."

"Have you been up today?"

She knew he wasn't being literal, he was really asking if she'd been outside, if she left her room for anything other than food and drink or to use the loo. He was asking if she was close to feeling like the old Yang. She was honest with him.

"No."

He patted her on the knee as he stood, the same as every night these past three weeks. He looked back at her as he left, trying his best to gaze at her and not her arm. It was useless however, his eyes still flickered to where her right hand should be, a glint of pain flashed across his pupils before he smiled a sad smile at her and left her to her thoughts.

Sleep came no easier than night than any night before.

Tomorrow morning would be different, her heart was still cold but her mother's words had sparked fury in her stomach. She still dreamed of red hair and red swords, invincible girls and their graves. She dreamed of her mothers red eyes. She almost dreamed of amber eyes, a voice that would both sooth the flames and make them burn brighter still. She would not allow herself to dream of amber eyes.

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 **A/N** : Woo that was a wild ride into Angsty! Yang wasn't it? Hopefully! Check back soon for chapter two.


	2. A New Flame

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing but the plot. The wonderful characters and settings of the RWBY universe belong to Monty Oum and RoosterTeeth.

 **A/N** : Here we are, chapter two! This is my first fanfiction so constructive criticism is always appreciated. I hope you enjoy reading this fic as much as I enjoy writing it. I will try and update at least once a week. Unbeta'd.

* * *

Chasing Shadows

Chapter Two: A New Flame

The next morning was different. It was different because Yang felt something other than the emptiness she had been experiencing these past few weeks. It was like life had been reborn into her. She could feel her blood pound through her veins, she could feel the fire burn once more in her gut, and the slowly simmering pot of rage was now in full overflow.

The fire was different now however. It was difficult to describe, as if the flames in her stomach were made of ice. A slow, more controlled _fury_ now resided in her. Yet her blood still boiled, she could feel the flames, hotter than ever before aching to burst from her very soul into existence to enact their revenge on a world that had abandoned the girl who had done nothing but give.

Yang was furious, but this was a new _kind_ of rage. This was not the blinding anger she had felt before; this was not the consummate fear that drove her to attack Adam like she did. This was what her mother had been trying to tell her. This was _vengeance_. She did not need anything to drive her; in that moment Yang did not need anyone to fight for. Yang would fight because she could, because the universe didn't _want_ her to fight. She would get up off the ground, bloodied and bruised and dust herself off for no other reason than to say ' _fuck you_ ' to whatever power was pulling the strings.

Her flames burned and she thought of Penny, the innocent girl who wanted nothing more than to live as normal a life as possible. She was ready to burn a kingdom to the ground as she remember her friend Pyrrha, the girl who died to save a world in which she had not truly lived. Yang was ready to fight for nothing more vengeance itself. She was ready to fight for herself.

Her father brought her breakfast in bed as usually, noticing with a pleased grin that she ate more than ever since her return nearly a month ago. He missed the cold fury hidden in her bright lilac irises. He could have no idea of the change that had been sparked in his eldest daughter.

Soon after he had taken Yang's empty plates down to the kitchen with a smile he left the house to collect more firewood and supplies from the nearby towns. He would be gone most of the day. Yang jumped out of bed, actually jumped, for the first time in so long that her knees creaked and cracked at the tiniest athletic action. She dressed herself as best she could, not bothering with long trousers or a jumper, she wouldn't need them for the short walk to the garage regardless of the temperature outside.

Slowly she trudged her way down the stairs. She felt wobbly, her balance was all wrong and the weight of Ember on her left wrist felt foreign without the matching weight of Celica on her right. She hadn't seen her right gauntlet since that night. Was it still in the grounds of beacon perhaps? She doubted Blake had taken the time to recover the weapon as she pulled the unconscious blonde from the building, and it would be of no use for _him_ to keep it. Perhaps she could return, one day, to collect the missing piece of her.

For now she carried on down the stairs, stopping only to grab the keys to the workshop before throwing open the doors and venturing headfirst into the snowstorm that had developed outside.

Beneath her feet the snow crackled and crunched. The wind whipped her long blonde hair violently around her face but she did not care. The path to the workshop was familiar enough she traversed the low visibility with little issue and jammed the key into the lock on the third try of asking. Every movement felt wrong, and she found herself reaching more than once to steady the lock with her right hand.

This would take some getting used to.

Finally she opened the lock and flicked on the lights to the old workshop, closing the door firmly against the howling winds outside. The workshop was unchanged from the last visit the girls had made back home, before even starting beacon, during one of the longer holidays from signal. On the long desk pressed against the farthest wall was a collection of spanners and screwdrivers, scattered haphazardly across the metal surface. Yang remembered that day; she had helped Ruby make some modification to Crescent Rose's war scythe form. She had also put a new set of tires of bumblebee, have burnt through the previous ones the week before pulling stunts along one of the more abandoned roads near signal.

Yang sat down at a small desk, tucked away in the corner of the room as far as possible from any of the workbenches or areas of noise. On the small desk was an assortment of stationary; rulers, protractors, pens, pencil, rubbers a calculator and measuring tape all sat neatly to one side of a blue drawing mat. On the shelf above the table was a wad of gridded paper, perfect for drawing blueprints and schematics. Apart from the paper the shelf was full of some of the most advanced mechanical and electrical engineering books available to both the general public and huntress' in training.

In these books was the knowledge that had led to Yang building Ember Celica. Contained within these pages was every tip and trick the sisters used when designing and building Crescent Rose's first incantation, which now held pride of place above the main door to the workshop. These were the books the blonde used to build bumblebee, long before she could afford a whole bike. At age 14, two years before the legal driving age Yang had been zooming around the country roads and paths that made up the island of Patch on her home made motorbike. The same motorbike that now sat as an unrecognizable scrap of black and yellow metal on the workshop floor, recovered only a few days ago at her fathers personal request from the ruins of Vale.

Yang did her best with one had, she ignored the need for straight lines for the most part, choosing instead to draw very slow and methodical copies of the pre-drawn lines on the paper as best she could. It was a stark contrast to the usual speed with which either sister mapped their plans, but it would have to do. Time and again she would pull a tome from the shelf only to flick to a page about electrical resistors, shake her head and scribble on here hard drawn plans.

It was nearing four in the afternoon before Yang left the 'design bench' as it had been so affectionately named by ten-year-old Ruby. She had yet to finish many of the more detailed aspects of her plan but the basic outline had been done and that was all she needed as an excuse to jump into the wreckage of bumblebee in search of salvageable parts. The bike was beyond repair; it would be easier to build it again from scratch but much of materials remained more than useful for her purpose.

Yang Xiao Long was going to build herself a new arm.

She tore into the wreckage of her bike with gusto, holding no sentiment to what was just a few weeks previous perhaps one of the more precious things she owned, a brilliant black and gold testament to her mechanical skill and prowess. Now it was little more than means to a greater end, a way that she could show the world that Yang Xiao Long would not simply follow the path she had been put on.

It was nearly nine o'clock in the evening when her father found her tearing sheets of scrap metal and other assorted parts from the wreckage of her bike with nothing more than a crowbar and her semblance.

"Yang! What are you doing in here? You need to be resting. The doctors said no strenuous activity for two months whilst your aura regenerates the nerve endings and cartilage in your arm!"

She ignored him, tearing at the new piece of scrap with renewed vigor.

"Yang" he sighed, walking over the design bench and picking up the carefully drawn scribbles that would be the basis of her new limb. "You can't build yourself a new arm… especially _with_ only one arm"

Again she ignored him.

"Yang!" he shouted, so loud she could've sworn some snow feel from the workshop roof.

"What?" She bit.

"What are you doing?" he asked gently.

"Don't be stupid dad. You can see very well what I'm doing. You're holding the plans for dust's sake."

He sighed, bright blue eyes glancing sadly at the sheets held delicately in his right palm. "Perhaps the better question is why Yang? You've been laid up in bed all this time. You've barely spoken to me or to Ruby whilst she was here and yet I come home one day to find you're not only feeling well enough to get out of bed, but well enough to build your own arm? What brought this on?"

She sighed. There was no way he could know the truth, and to tell him would result in nothing but her being confined to her room for the rest of her natural life, Taiyang had made it very clear in the past Raven was not a woman Yang should go looking for, and until a few months ago she had respected that rule.

"I was sick of being useless. Mopping around the house like that! That's not me Dad! I don't really know who I am, but it certainly isn't that _thing_ I've been since I came home all those weeks ago. I just…. I had to do something."

Her father stopped for a moment. She stared back at him. His bright blue eyes were downcast, both contemplative and sad. His bright yellow hair, only a shade or two duller than Yang's own yellow locks seemed to sit heavy on his head, dropping far lower than normal and shading his face in ways Yang had never seen before. Finally, he met her gaze.

"Can I at least help before you open your wounds again?" he finally asked.

For the first time in what seemed like years Yang allowed herself to smile. An actual, honest to dust smile. Of joy, or happiness, was there a difference? It was a fond smile, born of a time far removed from what they had now. His words had brought back a memory from her childhood, when, at age nine Yang had been forced to fix the toaster after her father had electrocuted himself trying to fix it the day before. He had been not paying attention during his 'slump' as Ruby had always called it.

"I thought we agreed to leave the mechanics to me and Ruby after the toaster incident" she smirked.

Taiyang laughed. It was a glorious sound, born more of joy that his daughter had cracked a joke than the joke itself. A slight tear watered his eye as he remembered that day and took in the sight before him of a once more smiling Yang.

"Ha ha ha" chuckled the man, "Yes I do remember getting the shock of my life when I came downstairs the next day and you'd made everyone toast for breakfast… _again_. You had such a proud look about you for the rest of the day"

Yang groaned at her fathers pun. It was good to hear him getting back in the flow of things. For all his faults she still loved her father, very much so. She would never entirely forgive him for some things, but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate the times he had been around.

"I think I'm done for the day anyways. Let's go back inside… you can make me some tea."

"Oh, I can can I?"

"Yes. Yes you can."

Yang exited the workshop first, leaving her father smiling brightly in the old building. He was happy to see the first signs of Yang peaking out from under the clouds.

He couldn't know how wrong he was.


	3. Sheep in Lion's Clothes

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing but the plot. The wonderful characters and settings of the RWBY universe belong to Monty Oum and Roosterteeth

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Chasing Shadows

Chapter 3: A Sheep in Lions clothing.

" _Fuck._ "

Yang was not happy.

It had been a week now since Ruby left. One week since her mother visited, six days since she'd begun work on her new arm. Six long, frustrating days.

It simply wasn't possible. She had confirmed what almost everyone else had been expecting. You simply could not build a mechanical arm with only one hand. It just didn't work like that. The wiring alone was proving to be all but impossible. With both her arms fully functioning this would've taken two solid weeks of work, but she hadn't even passed the first stage yet in her current predicament.

Her stomach growled in protest at the long hours she had been working without pause. Her once bright lilac eyes now sat upon heavy bags and her treasured golden locks were greasy and unkempt. She had even slept in the warehouse one night, only to pay the price in the morning when her back screamed in agony with every movement she made.

Distantly she registered the sound of a door opening and closing behind her. She didn't turn from her work, she knew who it was. It had been the same routine for the past few days now, ever since she started sleeping in the draughty cabin.

"Yang honey?" He enquired slowly; careful not to spark his daughter's wrath as he had done the first time he attempted this… there was a new scorch mark on the wall to attest to the brilliance of that particular plan.

She didn't look up from her work. Not even as a plate of delicious smelling food was placed teasingly on the desk under her nostrils. She had to finish her arm; she would not be weak again.

"Yang honey. You've got to stop this," her father lamented gently, trying to ease her attention onto him with a light squeeze of her shoulder. "You can't build anything in your condition, let along a new arm, it just doesn't work like that."

"Why?" she asked.

Taiyang was taken aback, he hadn't managed to get a peep put of her these past few days, the only sound she had made was an animalistic growl when he tried to forcibly remove her from the room. He glanced back over the scorch mark that stained the furthest most wall and reflected on the genius of that plan.

"Well… you can't possible put together all the intricate pieces that –"

"No. Why didn't you come?"

"I…I uh… What?"

"Why didn't you come?" she asked again, louder this time.

"Come..." he stuttered confused, "… come where?"

"To me." She answered. Yang's hand was beginning to turn white as she gripped the screwdriver she held with all the considerable strength she had. "To Ruby?"

He knew what he was being asked. He had dreaded the question since his daughters return nearly two months ago. It was the same question Qrow asked him when he brought them home.

"I couldn't... there was no transport to Vale, it was chaos. The CCT was down, I had no way to contact any-"

"You got back from your mission weeks ago. I know, you wrote me and Ruby to let us know you'd got back safe. Why didn't you come before?"

"Why would I have come before? You were both quiet happy at Beacon and Qrow was there to look out for you."

Yang exploded.

The wooden chair turned to ash beneath her flames as she stood to face her father. Her eyes were the darkest red Taiyang had ever seen, darker even than Raven's. The flames that licked her skin burned white hot, so much so Taiyang began to sweat even as he moved himself back.

"I was quite happy at Beacon! I had just been accused of kneecapping another student during the Vytal festival! I had been arrested on international television! You should have been on your way to Beacon… to… to me as soon as that happened!"

Taiyang knew he would only make it worse by speaking. He should leave now before the flames that threatened to engulf him made good on that promise. Still, his pride would not let him leave just yet, no matter how foolish a choice it was.

"You had Qrow there. You've never needed me before Yang… never."

He knew it was a bad choice to speak.

He'd experienced Yang's outbursts before, he was her father, of course he had. He been burnt by his daughter before the same way Ruby had run away before. Every time both would be safe and happy in bed by the end of the day, apologies given and received by both parties. His semblance allowed his to slow time for a split second; it was why he was such a good boxer.

He didn't think it would be off much use now.

"Qrow! Qrow is not my FATHER! You need to take the responsibility for once. You cannot keep pawning off the responsibility on others! I wonder how quickly you would've been on a ship if Ruby had been arrested! Or would you have left me to deal with her again? After all I've been doing your job since I was eight anyways!" Yang screamed at her father, the small droplets of spittle evaporated the moment they left her mouth so intense was her rage.

This was everything she'd been bottling up; this was the years of resentment at her father and Qrow for putting others first. At Summer and Raven for leaving her like this. This was her anger at Penny and especially Pyrrha being taken far too soon from this world for reasons she didn't understand. This was her anger for being abandoned _again_ by Blake. It had burst like a damn and she didn't think she could reel it back in.

She didn't know if she wanted to.

"Yang… I… you need to calm down" pleaded her father. "Please."

"You are a coward! She was right about you. Do you even care about me?"

"Of course I do Yang," pleaded the man, who even now cowered at her retreating flames. She was finally loosing steam. "I taught you how to fight, I showed you everything I know…"

"Why?"

It was a simple enough question, but as her eyes renewed the dark, blood red colour they had lost only seconds previously he could see why she was angry. In her mind, the context must have sounded bad right now.

"I… because…" He knew what the answer was; he remembered the conversation clear as day. He also knew what would happen if he said it aloud, he would probably never see Yang again.

"Stop! Stuttering!" She raged

"Because you had to protect Ruby!" He shouted back, loud enough to be heard behind the snarling rage that consumed her.

"You see father."

He did.

"Did you teach me anything because it's what I wanted?"

He remembered that day… She had been so young, maybe seven or eight. It was right before Summer died. Back before they knew she was even missing. She had only just left for her mission.

The young blonde giggled as her father led her outside by the hand. "Why are we out here daddy? I wanna go inside and play with Ruby and uncle Qrow some more." She tried to pull her father back into the house, but try as she might the large man simply would not budge. She giggled again as he smiled down at her.

He took her to a small hut behind the workshop, which she was only allowed into with her father, mum or uncle Qrow. She knew what the small hut was. It was the place where daddy and mummy disappeared to at separate times to train, for hours and hours on end. She had never been allowed in here before.

"Yang" her father said, sitting her down in a soft and squishy chair far to large for her small body. Her feet kicked happily over the edge as her father spoke to her. "Do you remember what happened to Ruby last year?"

"When she ran into a wall using her flower powers and had to go to the hospitals?"

Taiyang chuckled at the name 'flower power', it seemed as if both girls were set on using that name for Ruby's semblance.

"Yes. That's the one. Now Ruby will be starting big school soon, at the end of the summer in fact. Do you remember we talked about this? About how Ruby would be going to the same school as you?"

"Uh huh" chirped the little blonde happily, her legs still swinging away. "I'm going to be the best big sister ever! I can help her with her homework and make sure she eats her fruit at lunch like you and mummy do!"

"Well, Ruby is special Yang. The other kids might not like her because she can do things they can't yet." He began slowly, allowing the girl to take in every word he said.

"Because of her flower power?"

"Yes Yang, because of her…" he sighed using the name his daughters had given it, "flower power."

"Some of the kids might be mean to her, and we can't be there to protect her when she's at school. You'll need to do that for us."

Yang didn't even stop to consider her answer. "Okay" she replied, happy to be the best big sister ever. "I remember you told me to go get a teacher if someone was mean to me, so I'll look after Ruby and make sure to get a teacher if anyone is mean to her."

Taiyang sighed. He was struggling for the words to explain this in a way his seven-year-old daughter might understand. "Well yes Yang, you should always get a teacher, but sometimes there's not a teacher nearby. What do you do then?"

"I tell them to stop being mean to Ruby" she replied innocently.

"What if they don't?"

She didn't have an answer for that one.

"Yang, Ruby is special. One day you'll be special too, but for now we need to make sure Ruby is okay, and I need you to help your mum and me make sure she's okay. If Ruby gets scared she might accidentally use her… _flower power_ … and hurt herself again. You need to stop people who might bully your sister."

Yang was confused, she had always been told to be nice to people and that generally people would be nice back. Some kids were mean but they stopped after a teacher told them off, why couldn't that work for Ruby?

"I don't want to hurt anyone." She whispered to her father, a small pool of water forming in her bright lilac eyes, which had grown wider as the conversation progressed.

"Do you want Ruby to get hurt?" He felt remorse for doing this, but he knew it was the only way. Yang had never been one to get in scraps before, she liked to use her words and trusted himself, Summer or Qrow to make sure everything was okay.

"No." She sniffled.

"Then you've got to learn to protect both of you." He said, staring into his daughters lilac eyes with his own bright blue ones and hoping she would agree to his plan.

She still seemed doubtful, he could see it behind the slowly falling tears. He knew why, he was asking her to question everything she had been taught by him before this point.

"But you said to help people. That hitting people was bad."

"I said hitting people _without_ good reason was bad. Yang I need you to do this," he looked her right in the eye. "For Ruby."

The young blonde looked confused for a second more before sniffing loudly. She wiped away the tears that had fallen and looked at her father with all the determination she could muster in her young face. "Will I be a good sister if I stop them?"

"The best" he assured.

The memory faded away as a salty drop of sweat stung his eye. She was still there, waiting in all her primal, fire and brimstone glory, for an answer.

"I…" he stuttered. Never had he been afraid of his own daughters, never, not once.

Until now.

"I did it for you too Yang. You just needed some convincing to learn, can't you see? I would've taught you it all in a few years anyway! It just happened you needed to learn… _sooner_ , than either of us would've liked"

"That's the story of my life with you" her last sentence was cold, it had lost all the fiery passion with which mere seconds ago she had been filled. Taiyang fluttered open an eyelid, and eyelid he didn't know he'd closed to see his eldest daughter wandering of into the blizzard that had brewed outside. He knew he should follow her, but nothing in its right mind would dare touch her like this.

He took the time to breathe.

* * *

 **A/N: I've really been in a writing mood these past few days. Don't expect updates this quickly in the future, but i'll keep writing as long as the Mojo is there.**

 **This chapter is unbeta'd, please leave a message with any glaring spelling/grammatical mistakes you find.**


	4. Into the Raven's Nest

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing but the plot. The wonderful characters and settings of the RWBY universe belong to Monty Oum and RoosterTeeth.

* * *

Chasing Shadows

Chapter 4: Into the Ravens Nest

The snow dare not touch the force of nature that stalked through the woods. Around the burning embers of what once was a hopefully young woman the biting winter dared not venture. The small scatterings of Grimm that lived on Patch had been drawn to her anger and hate; she was, quite literally, a shinning beacon for them.

It was a cautious Beowolf who made the first move, stalking ahead of his pack to investigate the source of the negative emotion. He was returned to dust before Yang even knew it was there. Next a small nevermore, no bigger than a seagull tried to swoop down on the unsuspecting girl. It too turned to ash as flames leapt from her body and engulfed the attacking creature.

Yang heard the next two Beowolves coming, she snapped of a shot with her gauntlet at the first one, sending it crashing into a nearby tree before the second one received the same fist to its face for its troubles. Yang swung wildly at the Beowolf, managing to knock it out in one punch due only to her insane strength.

She felt pain.

A white-hot streak of it erupted down her back. She spun around quickly, already feeling her semblance send the energy of her pain to her muscles. She broke the third Beowolf's neck with a simple backhand.

There was more pain. A fourth claw raked along her exposed arm. Another Beowolf had gotten inside her guard. Her first instinct was to punch it with her right arm and she swung the stump uselessly at the creature's head. It bite down on her arm, she could feel its teeth cracking as they failed to penetrate her aura fully, leaving only slight scratches on her skin. Her flames burned at the creatures bone mask as she kicked its legs out from underneath its body. A splatter of warm blood coated her face as she used Ember to bore a hole through its chest at point blank range.

Around her the rest of the Beowolf pack gave pause. She had dispatched four of its members in such a short time they might have rethought their actions. The wolves however could smell blood, she knew it as well as they. She was beginning to tire. Her flames no longer burned white hot with rage, but had settled back into their normal flicker of orange and yellow, just enough to deter all but the most determined attacker.

She would need her strength for when the pack charged her. She knew she had only a few seconds to calm herself before it happened. There was only one way she knew of that was guaranteed to calm her down. That had been before though, she didn't know if her heart and mind would react the same now…

She had to try.

Yang closed her eyes and ears to the world; somehow confident she would now when she was in mortal danger again. Into her memories she slipped. Yang remembered Ruby's eyes first, the innocent gleam of silver as she told Yang she was the 'best big sister ever'.

Ice blue was next. Weiss had a way of laying things out to Yang that even Blake struggled with. The Ice Queen was absolutely honest with the fiery blonde and it was something she appreciated. The same line repeated over and over in her mind. "You believe me don't you?"… "Of course we do!"

The final eyes were the hardest, but Yang knew they were the most important. The memory that was Blake Belladonna's eyes burned across her own vision. Yang took the time to remember every perfect imperfection with her partner's eyes, the small freckles of black that seemed out of place in the otherwise crystal clear sea of amber. The intelligent gleam and catlike slit to her pupils that let her see in the dark far better than even most other Faunus. She heard those words over and over and over again. "Yang… are you okay?"

There was a noticeable chill in the air as Yang breathed deeply, letting the icy winds sting her nostrils as she took in as much life giving air as she possibly could. The fire burned at the pit of her stomach, but it no longer threatened to consumer as it had earlier. She felt in control for the first time ever.

She felt some semblance of power again. It was as intoxicating as she remembered.

Yang let it build and build, feeling her very core fill with the warm relief her fire provided. Again and again she flashed between her teams eyes, always lingering on Blake's the longest. She wanted to hate the Faunus, but was it truly hate if they still plagued your dreams with happiness? Could you hate the same person you fantasised about? Could you truly hate a person you loved? Yang doubted shed ever now unless she saw the Faunus again, which seemed as unlikely as her making it home alive right now.

A loud crow from a nearby bird forced her back to reality. She opened her eyes to find herself staring at the snarling snout of a rapidly closing Beowolf, it would be wrapping its jaws around her neck any second now. All around her Beowolves were charging. The rapid thud and crunch of their vicious clawed paws on the blood soaked snow rung in her ears as she took the last seconds of her life to realise just how thoroughly stupid she'd been to wonder alone in the woods with only her left gauntlet for protection. She hadn't learnt her lesson; she'd done it again.

She'd been consumed. Controlled by the fire in her stomach and heart.

The Beowolves were upon her now, inside her guard. She couldn't swing even if she wanted to, she'd never make it in time.

She'd been stupid.

She needed help… _again_.

The word felt wrong in her mouth and her mind. She had promised herself she wouldn't be weak again, but here she was bloodied, bruised and about to die in some forest on a tiny island twenty minutes from home.

She bit her tongue so hard it bled.

She spoke.

"Raven!"

She screamed.

The fire she had stored in her belly, which she had taken the time to rein in moments before, was released once again. The flames burst outward in every direction, a massive, all consuming dome of pure fire ripped across the land. This was a fire fuelled by desperation, fuelled by her anger at herself for being weak again… for losing. Fuelled by her father for not being here to protect her again. Fuelled by Blake for making her leave in the first place. It was fuelled by hope that she might live to find answered.

In short, it burned bright.

* * *

It was a bright flash of light in her peripheral vision that drew Blake Belladonna's attention first. She turned, confused towards the source of the light, her hand cautiously gripping the hilt of Gamble Shroud as she did so.

The tremor was next, the abandoned and badly damaged hotel she had made camp in shook to its very core. Loose bits of plaster and ornaments feel from their places, smashing to the ground by the young woman's feet.

Blake ran to the roof, she had to see what had caused such a violent quake.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the northeast, a place she had purposefully been avoiding. The hotel was the tallest building in this part of Vale; she could see the island's coast clear as day.

"No." She gasped, tears stung at her eyes as her mind brought up every worst-case scenario she could think of.

Patch was burning.

At least that's what it looked like to Blake. She knew the island itself wasn't burning, but something big had happened. There was a visible column of smoke rising from the western side of the snow-covered island.

Right where she knew Yang lived.

He couldn't have found them. It just wasn't possible. Patch was as sparsely populated an area as you would find. A person could spend days searching and not find a single living soul unless they knew where to look.

Plus, she was with her family. She had to be okay. There was her father and her uncle Qrow, both professional and well-regarded huntsmen, Qrow especially. There was Ruby, Blake had seen what she'd done atop the CCT, she wouldn't let Yang be harmed. It was simply impossible. Adam couldn't breach all the defences around her. He simply couldn't.

Except Blake knew he could. Adam was as sneaky and subtly as she was. The family wasn't prepared for Adam to be hunting Yang, she hadn't warned them of his promise before setting off, she had thought she could lead him away. All she had done was made them unprepared and defenceless. He could probably stroll up to the front door if he so wished.

She would be of no use to Yang now. Not that she ever had been.

Still, she knew she had to go.

She had to know.

Blake Belladonna set off from her perch atop the hotels roof. She could be on the island by nightfall.

* * *

From above all a person would see was scorched earth, the remains of Grimm scattered around, turned to ash before they could even return to dust. Tree's had been ripped from their roots and landed miles away, covered in burns and black soot. There was not a single living creature for the next mile in any direction.

Except a small blonde, who lay unconscious at the centre of the destruction. Her hair and clothes were singed at the edges as even her aura failed to prevent the power she herself had unleashed from damaging her. A golden glow flew from her right arm, which disappeared as ash into the wind. It had been there, solid, but for a fleeting moment.

There was one other creature alive.

A small blackbird swopped down from the sky, diving straight towards the blackened ground immediately next to the unconscious girl. Closer and closer to the ground it flew, never once even considering that it might be better to pull up before it crashed.

Raven's feet crunched to the ground.

"I knew I was right" she said, kneeling to cradle the exhausted and injured blonde to her chest. "I've got you Yang"

"You've done well."

* * *

 **A/N: Quite a short chapter this time. I hope to have another, longer chapter up for you all tomorrow.**

 **As always this chapter is unbeta'd, so don't forget to lend an hand and point me to any glaring spelling/grammatical mistakes.**


	5. Convergence

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing but the plot. The wonderful characters and settings of the RWBY universe belong to Monty Oum and RoosterTeeth.

* * *

Chasing Shadows

Chapter 5: Convergence.

Blake Belladonna ran.

She ran faster than she ever had before.

Her breathing was heavy. Her long black fringe clung to her forehead; the perspiration from hours of running was stronger than any glue she had ever used. Her legs were like lead but somehow they carried on, moving at a pace she hadn't thought possible for anyone other than Ruby.

They knew. Her whole body knew. It should have given out hours ago, but like her heart and mind it refused. She had not rested once, how could she? From the crapped hiding place between boxes of supplies on the ship she had stowed aboard to the densely packed and snow covered forests of Patch there was simply no time to stop.

She had to know.

She had to know now.

So she ran.

* * *

Taiyang Xiao Long had tried his best in life. He'd tried to do right by his kids. He tried to be there for them, to hold them when they cried and make sure they smiled at the end of the day.

He realised now his efforts had not been enough. She was right. He was right too… in a way. He had tried to be a good father, to make sure his kids were the best people he could help them be.

Only now did he realise he'd tried to late for one of them.

He had never known Yang felt that way. He doubted she knew it herself. They both had a protective streak when it came to Ruby and they both knew it. Yang would never blame her sister, she simply wouldn't. Thinking about it, he should've seen the signs sooner.

She had just been so happy. Yang had always smiled; it was just the way things worked. Like the snow in winter or the leaves in fall, as far as he was aware Yang smiling simply was not optional, it just _happened_. She was, almost literally, a ray of sunshine.

He realised now that he had missed the moment her smiles stopped being true and started being the mask. He had been too caught up in himself to notice.

Yang was happy when she had a purpose. She needed something she could invest her very heart and soul into, and, until a week ago that had been Ruby. He had never seen her annoyed at the younger girl, not when she was woken by her at three in the morning to tell her about her nightmares. Not when she harassed the older girl for hours to reach up to the top shelf to get the cookie jar. Yang had never truly been angry at Ruby, she cared too much.

She had lost that now.

Yang had nothing. No purpose, no cause. Ruby didn't need her anymore and her father wasn't the attachment she needed these days. He never had been. He had hoped her partner, the girl she mentioned so much in her letters might be a new cause for his fiery girl. He had been wrong about that too.

Suddenly he was torn from his thoughts as the house shook on its foundations. The photos and other random items that adorned the many shelves fell to the floor. In a cruel twist of irony he felt a piece of glass pierce into his foot, a piece that had shatter right from the frame that contained a picture of the three of them.

The glass had cracked between Yang and himself. Ruby was suitably unharmed.

The whole house illuminated in a fiery flash of hot orange light. Despite it being the middle of winter and light layer of sweat instantly appeared on Taiyang's fair skin.

What could have caused such an explosion?

There was only one person he thought of, but it wasn't possible. It shouldn't have been possible. That amount of power simply didn't exist in your average huntsmen, not even in your exceptional ones. It reminded Tai of the time he had seen Ozpin use his semblance. Just that one time, all those years ago.

It can't her been her.

Was Raven right, all those years ago?

Taiyang didn't care how or why right now. He _knew_ that blast had to have come from Yang.

He ran.

* * *

Raven had been watching her daughter as best she could this past week. It had been a big decision to finally contact her, but a necessary one. The world was bigger than her petty reasons for not doing it. Her inadequate feelings would have to be pushed aside.

Ozpin had his hero. He had his power now in Ruby. Salem had her power now too; she had collected the power of another maiden. Only summer and spring now remained, and even Ozpin didn't know where they were. If Raven was to be a contender in this, if she were to truly save the world rather than play the misguided game the others played she would need her own power, far beyond that she currently possessed.

Yang was that power.

Remnant was full of legends and tales, Qrow had said it himself, even Ozpin had admitted more than one was true.

They never believed the same tales as Raven however. Even for Ozpin, a man as old as he was the tale Raven believed was too much. Qrow had forgotten the Branwen roots, as had their father. It was pure fantasy they said.

In a world with maidens of the seasons and silver eyes gods, they said she couldn't exist. No one could have that power. There was no such thing as what she was suggesting Yang to be. Qrow still denied it, even after Beacon had been torn apart.

What she was looking at wasn't fantasy.

What Raven was looking at was _proof_. It was there, right before her eyes. She had been right.

Yang had the fire. She would be able to summon them in her imagine. She could burn down kingdoms if she wanted. She was truly a force of nature.

Raven smiled.

She smiled as her daughter burned. Even as she watched the flames instinctively burn away the Grimm she couldn't help her hand drifting closer to her blade. This was her daughter; even as the flames brought her happiness watching a Beowolf clamp its jaws on her remaining arm was not a sight she enjoyed.

She was about to intervene when Yang stopped in the middle of the forest. Her blood mixed with the dead Grimm's and for the first time in years she felt fear.

Had she been wrong?

Yang looked defeated, Raven doubted she could stand even if she wanted too.

She had to do something.

She summoned the power in her, feeling the still strange tingle as her body shrunk several sizes. She still watched in mild amusement as her tanned skin, rough from years of exposure was replaced by sleek black feathers that ruffled in the winter's breeze. It took less time than it did for her to blink before a literal Raven stood where her human body had once been. A single, powerful flap of her slender wings set her in motion, flying as fast as she could towards her injured child. She had been so sure she was right. So certain. She had believed it in her bones, from the day she was born Raven could have sworn she had felt it.

She hadn't been mistaken.

Raven had learnt to channel her aura in her bird form; she'd just never needed it before. It was times like this she was thankful for her near paranoid view of the world. Caution would do nothing but save her life as she always said. Still, the hit knocked her aura out completely.

She was thrown through the air like a ragdoll. Tossed aside by the ever-expanding dome of flames as if she was little more than a fly to be swatted. She, Raven Branwen, feared by the forces of good and bad alike, had been thrown aside so carelessly by the power of her daughter. The power that supposedly didn't exist.

She was almost proud.

* * *

Blake had no idea where she was going.

The ship she had stowed away on was sailing back to the mainland in the distance behind her. It would be dark soon and the captain wanted to return home for the night. He had been so eager to unload his cargo that he smiled and waved at the black haired faunus as she walked past. It never once registered to him that the only place she could have come from was his boat.

The small column of smoke was still in the sky, albeit a pale comparison of the mighty spire it had been when she set off on the ship. If you hadn't seen the light earlier it could easily have been mistook for a simply chimney outlet.

Blake set off again, towards the smoke.

Even if there was nothing left to save, she had to see.

She glanced at her right wrist, where a comforting yellow gauntlet sat, neatly compressed in its everyday form.

She ran.

For the first time in her life, Blake Belladonna ran towards something. She allowed herself a small smile, only Yang Xiao Long could make her go against everything she was. She had always made Blake better than she was.

She ran faster.

* * *

Taiyang ran outside the house as fast as his feet would carry him. He moved towards where the light had come from. He had to get to her before anything… before any _one_ else. His poorly covered feet protested as the plodded heavily through the snow.

He looked up just in time.

A tree, ripped from its roots was flying through the air towards him. I wasn't alone either. He rolled across the ground, bemoaning his lack of weapon as he was forced to dodge what seemed like half a forest trying to crush him. His aura flared as hundreds of pebbles and small twigs battered into him, but he was only concerned about avoiding the massive trunks.

He jumped between the falling logs, using the last as a springboard to the next. He had never been the most athletic huntsman; Summer was always the one capable of what he still swore were almost impossible gymnastics.

Finally the debris stopped raining down on him. Taiyang stopped to breath as he surveyed the area around him. Patch's forests had always been dense and difficult to navigate for anyone unaccustomed to the area, the snow made it difficult even for Taiyang and his daughters to go off the beaten track. The only one who dared was Ruby, when she would take an entire day to complete the journey to her mother's grave. It was a journey that would have taken two hours at most in the warmer months.

Now the paths had not been blocked but almost eradicated. Yang hadn't been gone more than half an hour at this point. It would take a few hours to navigate and clear the path to her.

He grabbed a trunk and threw it to the side.

He had work to do.

* * *

Blake had made it, finally.

She had spent ages trying to get through the densely packed forests of Patch. She had shed a tear when she saw the devastation that occurred here. Tree's were burnt and scattered across the snowy landscape. Ripped up at their very roots, this had to be the work of noting less than a force of nature.

Even he couldn't have done this, not alone.

An explosion this size would need dust, and a lot of it. Not as much as Torchwick and the White Fang had on the train, but it wasn't a far off amount.

Did he hate her that much?

Enough to drag the entire resources of the White Fang into his vengeance?

If she was being honest, she already knew the answer.

The trees and other obstacles hadn't slowed her down considerably. She was a gymnast of exception skill, and those obstacles she could not navigate herself were easily rounded with Gambol Shrouds long, grappling like reach to help her. Once or twice she'd even blasted an obstacle away with her yellow gauntlet, if only to hear the familiar sound and smile at the memory of the girl it truly belonged to. Finally, she came to a clearing. For as far as the eye could see there was nothing but scorched earth.

Even so, Blake couldn't miss her.

Her eyes found her whether she liked it or not. They always had.

She began to approach, slow and cautious. Yang seemed fine, the smell of blood in the air was long since stale, and had only the slightest hints of her partner in it. Her clothes were burn at the edges but all these wounds were superficial.

Yang was alive.

She knew it.

She was about to step forward, her mind full of words that she hoped would make sense once her tongue clicked into gear. She would get the girl home; she would stay this time, if only to make sure she was truly safe.

A blackbird entered her vision, flying straight towards the unconscious blonde. She watched, shocked as the bird turned into a human as it the ground. Her hair was as black as Bake's own, but was as wild and free as Yang's.

Who was this woman? Blake began to run; she wouldn't let her touch Yang. She was an unknown; Gambol Shroud was already being unsheathed.

"I've got you Yang" a voice carried on the wind. The woman had knelt down to hold the blonde. The way she stroked the ash filled hair, it was all too much. Only Blake had ever been allowed near her hair, she was the only one to be allowed to touch her.

Was this jealousy?

"Yang!" a new voice called into the wind. Nearby a man came into view and this time Blake needed no introductions. She'd heard his description a thousand times and seen the pictures a hundred more. This was Taiyang Xiao Long.

"Get away from her" he screamed at the woman, already in full charge to meet her head on. He stopped dead in his tracks when the woman looked up at him again. Blake was confused for a second.

"Raven?"

Oh. _Oh_.

That was Raven?

She wasn't needed here. Yang was safe, that much she knew. That was all she truly needed to see.

She slunk back into the shadows.

* * *

 **A/N: Did you want a happy reunion? So did I. Unfortunately this won't be easy on either girl.**

 **As always, this chapter is unbeta'd. Be a star and leave a review would you? It's what fuels the words to know people are enjoying the story.**


	6. While She Sleeps

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing but the plot. The wonderful characters and settings of the RWBY universe belong to Monty Oum and RoosterTeeth.

Chasing Shadows

Chapter 6: While she sleeps

She couldn't be here. Not after all these years. It simply wasn't possible.

"Raven?" The question was pointless; he would know that face anywhere, regardless of the fifteen or so years that had passed since he last saw her. He had loved her once after all. Maybe a part of him still did. She never stayed long enough for him to find out.

She didn't speak a word as she stood. Her motion was slow and purposeful as she turned to face her one time lover, teammate and father of her first born. Her hand rested on her weapon, the large barrel of dust still clipped safely on her back, she wouldn't be needing it just yet.

"Raven?" He called again, still to shocked to move from where he had ground to a halt. Perhaps she had been wrong about his intentions, he seemed far more interested in staying away than in trying to retrieve there daughter. He was a coward like the rest of them. He wouldn't act unless forced to do so.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. "Did you do all this? Why Raven, after all this time?"

She reached to her back and grabbed her dust container, still not saying a word to the confused and angry man before her. She flicked the little switch that set the canister revolving, letting it spin a bit longer than necessary before finally stopping it on the red dust chamber.

She drew the hilt slowly so as to not disturb the dust as it formed into a solid blade. Finally she withdrew the magnificent red weapon and allowed it to stand in all its intimidating glory. She kept a cautious eye on Taiyang as she did so, but he was still too shocked to move from his spot, although she doubted that would be the case for much longer.

She swiped her blade through the air, feeling her mind and soul mould the dust into any shape she wanted. She had done this a thousand times before, and like the thousand times before a hellish red and black portal now floated several yards in front of her leading to somewhere only she knew.

She knelt down once again to pick up her still unconscious daughter.

That's when he finally moved.

"What are you doing?" He asked again, moving towards her now with a purpose and swagger she hadn't seen from him in a long time.

She finally spoke, "I'm taking her Tai. She needs to be trained"

"You're not taking her anywhere. I will not let you use her fragile state to manipulate her. She will not be like you Raven, I won't allow it" In his eyes was a fire that she had all but forgotten. She wasn't in the slightest bit worried, but it was almost pleasing for her to see something of the man she'd once called a teammate and lover.

"You can stop me Tai. You never could" Raven had drawn herself to full height now, sword and dust chamber still firmly behind her back. She wouldn't need them; Taiyang had no weapons on his person.

"I can try!" He screamed as he finally charged at the raven-haired woman. She stood calmly, waiting for the moment to strike. Taiyang wasn't as sloppy as his daughter, he made sure to cover his guard even if he charged with the same reckless abandon she did. If he'd been a better teacher, maybe Yang could have avoided all this.

Raven ducked away from the punch, leaning back to avoid the second and cartwheeling with the motion to avoid a spinning kick aimed where she had once stood. He came again, this time she blocked his first strike, planting her palm on the inside of his guard. She put her other hand to the flat of his forehead and felt his aura bleed into her. It was completed in a split second before he disengaged, but it was enough.

Taiyang was already dangerously close to losing his aura, and she hadn't drawn a weapon yet. This was her power; she was always designed to be a killer, of men or monsters. She could take the very power of their souls if she wanted. She never could kill with it, but then again that's why she carried the blood red blade she did.

He came at her again, and she had to admire his resilience. His punches were fast and brutal, but Raven had been in enough scraps with him over the years to avoid or block every one, he'd stagnated since Summer's death, she'd only gotten better. Again and again she turned his swings aside, she dared not attack again just yet, she knew of his semblance, he would be prepared this time. He would slow time for the split second he needed to counter her and put her on the defensive. She would not allow it.

She got in a few jabs with the motions of her blocking, hits not significant enough to waste his aura and semblance on. Finally the enraged father swung too wildly, allowing Raven to dodge to the side and use his own moment to trip him, sending him cluttering to the floor. Before he could recover she leaped upon him, placing her hands at the base of his neck and willing him into unconsciousness as she felt his aura bleed into her again.

When she was satisfied he was out cold, she stopped.

She withdrew her red blade again, and swung it to create another portal. She new it was a waste of precious dust, that she should feel nothing for the defeated man at her feet, but she did it still. She took his far to heavy body and threw it into the portal she had made, he would land somewhere in the living room if the house was anything like what she remembered from her brief visits to Yang's window over the years.

Next she turned to her daughter, who hadn't woken during the whole exchange. She placed her hand on the battered girls forehead, gently letting some of the excess power she had gained from Taiyang just seconds ago flow into her system before her aura removed it completely. Hopefully it would be enough to begin healing the burns and scratches even if it didn't wake her up.

Slowly Raven stood, hearing her knee's click as she grew used to the unaccustomed weight held in her hands. Slowly, with strides far too unbalanced for her liking she moved into the still floating portal she had made earlier. There was no other way to do this, her portals only allowed one travel through them. It had come in handy before when she had been escaping some of her earlier scraps but it also meant she couldn't just wait for Yang to wake up.

Raven stepped into the portal.

* * *

"Blake?"

She was there. Right there, within arms reach.

She had searched for so long to find this girl. The girl who had the answers to all of Yang's questions and was the guardian of a path Yang wanted to be on. All she had to do was reach out and touch her, prove it was real.

She raised her right arm and placed it in the black haired girls shoulder. She still didn't turn around, or even flinch to acknowledge her presence. Yang could still feel her there however, it was real! It had to be!

"Blake?" She asked again.

"Why have you come?"

Yang was shocked, didn't she know? Blake should have known Yang would come; she would always come no matter how much she didn't want to. Yang lov- cared about the girl in front of her, they both knew it. Yang's voice shivered as she answered the girl's question.

"Blake… I" she stumbled. Why had she come? For answers? To prove to herself Blake was still alive? For something else? "I… Why Blake?"

"Why what Yang?" her voice was dull and harsh, and she still refused to turn and look at the blonde stood behind her, even as Yang tried to shift her around to face her.

"Why did you leave us Blake? Ruby, Weiss… _me_? Why run again Blake?"

"I'd have thought it was obvious."

Yang wanted to scream; she had been searching for Blake for so long! She had torn through villages and white fang camps, slept ruff in ruined cities and through storms to find this girl and she wasn't getting more than a sentence at a time.

"Well obviously not kitty-cat! So why not enlighten me, tell me what I should already know!"

"It is not the answer you want it to be Yang" she replied, head still low and to the floor as she spoke.

Her eyes flashed red.

"Dammit Blake! You owe me these answers, don't I deserve it! You broke me Blake! Left me just like everyone else has. I trusted you Blake, we were partners, destined to roam the world saving the day and slaying Grimm. We could have been happy tog-"

"You've made me weak Yang."

That gave her pause. The fire in her eyes died, as if a bucket of icy water had been thrown on the flames that burned in her heart. "I…What?"

"You made me care. All of you did, but none more so than you Yang. I cannot care about one person if I am to stop the white fang. You would only distract me. I could've stabbed him you know, lopped his head right from his shoulders as he finished you off. I had the time to. Instead I have condemned the world to more suffering and hate at his hands because I cared about _you_. I had to save _you_. I see now it is a weakness."

Yang roared at the girl's claims, she was absolutely crazy! Couldn't she see that caring was what made people better than the Grimm, what made them human. She knew drastic measures would have to be taken. She gripped Blake firmer than ever before, throwing the smaller girl around to face her.

She kissed her.

It was like fire. Her brain felt nothing but the rough feel of the girls weathered and chapped lips upon her own. She could feel Blake move with the kiss, stepping into the blonde girls embrace as she relented her self exiled quest. Then Yang felt herself being pushed away.

"No."

Yang growled at the faunus' defiance. She wanted to come home, to stop and be with her teammates and friends again, Yang had felt it.

"Dammit Blake! Caring isn't a weakness, the only reason you're here is because I care enough about you that I jumped in to stop Adam killing you. I gave my right arm for you Blake, I-"

 _Wait_

 _Her right arm? But… it was right there, resting on Blake's shoulder. She could feel the faunus' tense muscles beneath her fingers._

"This isn't real is it?"

She could remember now, the Grimm surrounding her, that Beowolf clamping down on her arm. Them all closing around her fast… far faster than she could do anything to save herself.

"Am I dead?" She asked Blake, who had finally looked her in the eye. Except there wasn't amber eyes there anymore, they were red… and she was speaking.

"Yang?"

 _What was going on?_

"Blake?"

"Yang! Wake up"

"I don't understand… Blake?"

"Yang! Wake up!" the voice insisted… it was familiar.

She opened her eyes to find herself staring into eerily similar red one. If she hadn't seen the black hair she'd have thought a mirror had been placed in front of her face.

"Raven?"

* * *

 **A/N: Woo! That's all for a while I'm afraid, from now on i'll be starting to update once or twice a week maximum. I'd like to say a big THANK YOU too all those who have taken the time to read and review my work so far. Keep up the reviews and I'll keep up the writing!**

 **As always, this chapter is unbeta'd. I might look into getting some kind person to do it, but for now I think i'll carry on with how I am.**

 **Until next time...**


	7. The Girl in the Flames

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing but the plot. The wonderful characters and settings of the RWBY universe belong to Monty Oum and RoosterTeeth.

* * *

Chasing Shadows

Chapter Seven: The Girl in the Flames

"Sloppy"

"Poor"

"Arrogant"

"Wild"

"Naïve"

This was only a few of the names Yang had been called today. She was once again drenched in sweat, the muscles in her good arm screamed for a hot bath and a massage. Before her was her mother, Raven. Her hair was as wild as Yang's and her eyes mirrored the angry red glare of her daughters. She had yet to break a sweat, even after the four hours of combat they'd been through. Yang had only hit her once in the three weeks they'd been training together and that had been by accident.

She came at Raven again, her stance altered to accommodate the lop-sidedness of her body. She still hadn't fully adjusted, but she could at least brawl with a Grimm or two. It wouldn't be the fast and destructive flow of her past fights, but she'd make it work. She kicked out at her mother's face, who merely ducked under the protruding leg, lifting it awkwardly and throwing Yang of what little balance she had. Around her throat came her other hand, as she brought Yang right into her face.

"Weak."

She threw her across the room, the brawler crashed to the unpadded floors in a painful heap. She took a second to catch her breath as she rolled onto her back.

"Again Yang. Get up, always –"

She cut her mother off; she had heard the phrase repeated to her constantly. It was like it was Raven's mantra or something, although she still hadn't spoken properly to her mother. If she wasn't training she was sleeping, and Raven would go off on her 'mission'. Yang still hadn't worked out if her mother actually slept at all.

"Always get up, never stay down. I know, just, let me catch my breath."

"No."

Raven was upon her in a flash, a booted foot crashed down where Yang's head had been seconds earlier. The blonde rolled to the side as she saw it coming. Yang tried to spring to her feet, as she had done so many times in the past, it was beyond instinctual at this point. Except she couldn't push herself up as she had done in the past, she only had the one arm. She brought her knee under her body and pushed herself up that way, ready to fight her mother once again.

She was too slow, again.

Mid way through her move, when she was knelt on one knee and ready to spring up she felt a kick to her back. She went sprawling forward only to be met with her mothers other leg, which kicked around her neck and snapped her body backwards. It was only her aura that prevented her from being permanently paralysed.

She crashed onto her back, gasping at her throat for air.

"Slow. Far too slow."

As if she hadn't worked that out for herself.

"I've already said I can't fight with one arm!" Her voice was harsh; full of the frustration at having to explain again what she thought was an obvious point. Raven couldn't undo nearly ten years of combat experience with two arms in three weeks; no matter how hard they trained.

"You don't only have one arm."

Yang was furious, how could someone who claimed to be so 'enlighten to the true nature of the world' be so incredulous. Raven was refusing to acknowledge cold, hard fact and it was wearing on the girls already thing patience.

"Why do you keep saying that? Unless you're _fucking_ blind you can't have missed the fact my right arm stops at my elbow!" Yang could feel the flames lick at her just under her skin, just begging to be let free.

"I assure you Yang I am anything but blind. You have the power Yang. You can shape them to your will. Make a new one." Raven's voice was as level and rock hard as always. Yang had yet to hear one trace of emotion other than contempt the one time she had mentioned Ozpin and Qrow.

"Shape what? What makes you think I'm so special! How can you expect me to learn if I don't what I'm supposed to be learning about?"

Yang had drawn herself up to full height, standing far too close to Raven to be safe. She snarled in the older woman's face as she spoke. She would suffer for this later she was sure but right now she didn't care. The flames that begged to be free when burning against her skin, she could feel the call. She couldn't hold it in even if she wanted not.

She didn't want to.

The fire burst from her skin, surrounding the fiery blonde in an angry orange glow that would have scared away the most powerful of Grimm.

Of course, Raven was unfazed. She was almost amused at her daughter's antics; safe in the knowledge Yang couldn't really hurt her, not even if she tried. Not yet, at least.

"I'm not surprised you haven't figured it out yet, it was the way you were raised after all. Having Ruby didn't help I'd imagine"

Yang was confused. "What are you on about? I'm still not hearing any answers."

"Your flames Yang. Think about them."

This wasn't what Yang was expecting. If she truly had any powers like Ruby she expected them to be hidden, locked away from her until something truly cataclysmic happened. She supposed now that was stupid, she could have used her powers long ago if that was the case, she'd had several qualifying scenarios in which to see them manifest.

"My…my flames?"

"Yes Yang, your flames. They are special, as are you"

"But they're just a side effect of my semblance… I don't have control over them. If anything they control me. I feel them burn under my skin all the time these days, just begging to be unleashed."

It was true, all of it. Yang was so angry these days; she had been tossed from person to person, no one ever staying to explain things. The one's who did stay didn't have the answers and the one's who had the answers never showed up in the first place. It was a vicious cycle and the young girl saw no way out. Raven would abandon her again soon, as soon as she realised she was wrong. Yang wasn't special, she couldn't be.

"Ha"

Raven genuinely laughed at Yang's comment. It was the first sign of humanity Yang had seen in all these weeks. Her laugh was short and breathy, more from the nose than the mouth but it was there.

"A side effect of your semblance. It's believably I suppose, and it's all you've ever known. I need you to open your eyes Yang, to listen to me for once and actually hear what I'm saying."

Yang had no other option, if she said no Raven would send her home, to a father who was surely as furious as her. Home was cold and boring, home was being alone. She didn't want to be alone.

"Semblance's don't have side effects like yours Yang. They don't. Some people might get a small glow in their eye, maybe a visible outline of their aura, but they don't have effects like yours Yang. They don't."

"But Ruby-"

"Forget Ruby. What about your other teammates? Does the Schnee girl have a side effect? The faunus?"

Yang thought on the matter. It was true enough that neither Blake nor Weiss exhibited any physical changes where using their semblance. Weiss' eyes didn't change and Blake certainly didn't catch on fire, nothing even remotely close.

"Qrow said it was rare to have such extreme side effects like mine. It's perfectly possible Blake and Weiss are just normal."

"What about the other teams at the Vytal tournament. Yes, I watched a match or two. Team JNPR, do any of them have 'side-effects'? Or those you faced? Did Flynt Coal have anything else happen when he split himself in four?"

Yang was struggling to remember now. There must have been someone… anyone who had at least some sort of side effect to their semblance. The only name that sprung to mind was Ruby, but Raven already knew that.

"I… I"

"Yang, you attended a school full of huntsmen and huntresses in training. There is no larger gathering of aura-unlocked individuals in the world than the Vytal festival. Did you, at any time during either of these things come across one, just one, other person who had any sort of 'side effect' like yours?"

Yang thought hard. She shifted through her memories of the festival, of Beacon. Coco? No, Velvet? No, Yatsuhashi? No, Fox? No, Cardin? No, Sun? No, Neptune? No. She carried on and on, thinking back to every sparring match she'd ever seen in class or the festival. Finally, she was forced to concede defeat.

"None, except Ruby"

"That's because your flames are not related to your semblance Yang. Ruby is special; she froze a Grimm with the power of her eyes! If she is the only person you know who is in anyway similar to you, what does that tell you."

Yang got it now; she thought she might finally understand. The pieces of this particular jigsaw had finally fallen into place. "That I might be special too."

"You can control Fire Yang. It's in your very blood and soul. There are many names for what you can do. Some would call you the 'Dragon Warrior', others the 'Sun Child'. A few would even claim you have the soul of a phoenix. I don't know which is true. What I do know is that you have this power Yang, a power we have guarded for centuries."

"We?" She asked.

"The Branwen family can trace its roots back thousands of years, back to the days before refined dust, when man was more primal. We were shaman's back then, we still are in blood. Have you never wondered how Qrow and me find people so easily? We can turn into the animals whose spirit we embody. It is not my semblance, it is a power given in my blood, much like yours." Raven paused, giving her daughter time to digest the huge amounts of information she was being given, before starting again.

The Branwen line has always had the blood of the first 'Dragon Warrior' in it. We are the guardians of it, since the beginning of man. The birth of a child with your power is random Yang, done only when whatever power it is decides that the world is in need of its avatar. There hasn't been one like you in hundreds of years."

"So that's what you meant when you claimed Qrow and your father had forgotten their roots!" It was all beginning to make sense to Yang now. Perhaps she was truly special; perhaps she finally had a purpose of her own. "I still don't see how this helps with my arm though."

Raven was frustrated, incensed. How could Yang still not see? Finally she allowed her emotions to flood her voice, anger and frustration in equal measure. "Did you not just listen to me? You can _control_ it; bend it to your will Yang. Make a new arm."

Yang could feel the flames that had retreated under her skin. They still battered on the doors of her self-control, urging the passionate blonde to spring them from their prison and cast their vengeance upon the world. Yang had never tried using her flames before; she'd never thought herself able. Closing her eyes and breathing deeply Yang began to push the flames to her good hand, urging them to the palm. She spread her hand wide in anticipation of the fireball she would create.

The flames rebelled against her control, the tried to move away from her arm, scattering across her body. They couldn't escape her will completely however, and slowly she built them up at her palm. Still, no matter how much she urged them to pass through the skin, to form as she commanded they would not.

Then, there was a spark.

Yang was forced to relinquish her control on the flames, her head beginning to pound with the effort. The fire rushed back through her body, once again testing the skin and mind to be allowed out unto the world. Yang was exhausted; her eyes lost their red tint and returned to her normal soft lilac. She risked a glance at her mother once more.

"Good."

* * *

 **A/N: What's this! I though you weren't going to update for a week! Well so did I but this chapter seemed to almost flow from me, I literally managed to get it written in one go. I hope you guys enjoy it, let me know which name you like best for Yang's power.**

 **Many Thanks to all those who have reviewed, they really keep me motivated and I'm glad you're all enjoying the story I am crafting. As always, this chapter is unbeta'd.**


	8. The White Fang

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing but the plot. The wonderful characters and settings of the RWBY universe belong to Monty Oum and RoosterTeeth.

* * *

Chasing Shadows

Chapter Eight: The White Fang

Blake's footsteps were near silent as she leapt across the rooftops of the abandoned downtown district of Vale. The area was on of the closest to Beacon and as such was still a hive of activity, filled with Grimm drawn by the unnatural call of the great Dragon currently frozen atop the destroy CCT tower.

Blake had only returned to Vale a week or so ago. It had been nearly a month since she had been on the fateful visit to Patch and she had put as much distant between herself and her partner – _ex-partner_ she reminded herself, _I've abandoned her, even if it was for her own good. I knew what this would do to her the day I left._ Blake carried on moving away, she would continue to protect her team from the shadows, even if they weren't aware of it.

It was what she was best at after all.

Blake had been brought back to the ruined city to follow a lead she had picked up on a small village, located somewhere near the Vale border which she had spent the past two weeks heading for. It was difficult on foot, Vale was a huge city that encompassed a huge portion of the kingdoms land and after that it was just a scattering of villages amongst dense forests, and the climate only got hotter and more hostile as you closed in on Vaccuo.

Her information suggested there was a large White Fang build up in this area, although she still couldn't quite work out what exactly they were building up for. Even with the fairly large numbers they could produce without alerting the distracted Atlas forces in the city it still wouldn't be enough to present any significant threat without the Grimm they had last time. Perhaps they intended to start an entirely Faunus section of Vale, ditching the uniform to slip quietly unnoticed amongst the rebuilding efforts.

Blake didn't know, but she was going to find out.

She had waited until night began to close in before leaving the rumble stained room she had made her home for the past two days. She had finally found the hauntingly familiar red strips painted on the side of a dilapidated bar. Returning to her temporary setup she had staked out the entrance the first night, watching what must have been well over a hundred faunus, unashamedly displaying their White Fang affiliation without fear of arrest or retribution.

Tonight she had decided to make her move, the former nightclub had several entrances to the main building, once reserved for staff or VIP guests they now allowed Blake almost unopposed access to the building. They wasn't any significant presence of guards, they clearly felt the combination of nearby Grimm and with the attention of the Atlas forces almost solely dedicated to protecting the rebuilding and repopulation efforts would prevent anything other than a wondering Beowolf or two from coming anywhere near the underground base.

It was almost too easy for her to slip in undetected. Her mask sat uncomfortably upon her face, not physically, it was more concerning to Blake just how well it fit, as if it was made for her and her alone, after nearly two years apart from the organisation. She had also changed into one of her alternate outfits, the white top and black trousers from the last time she had infiltrated a meeting was back.

Blake strode confidently through the small number of people who were up and about. Blake knew from experience that unusual faces weren't an uncommon sight within the White Fang, the very nature of the organisation meant members would disappear, either arrested or dead and would be replaced within a day or two by a new recruit. This was especially true within an operation of this size; there was no way one person could know everyone here.

The inside of the nightclub had been turned into a storeroom, what once was a wide open dance floor had been divided into a maze like collection of artificial paths, formed by the crates of supplies that ran from floor to ceiling. Blake could here the crates being moved down into the basement of the club, where they would no doubt remain once this section of the city as returned to its former glory.

She reached the entrance to the subterranean section of the nightclub and nodded to the guard on the door. The masked stag faunus, with his small antlers rising from his head raised his fist to his chest, striking the blood red emblem on his white uniform before sliding it across his chest. It was the same signal Blake recognised from her time in the organisation, used to identify members in the street without risky code words or phrases. It was an action that could easily be disguised by a coughing fit or clearing of the throat. Blake mirrored the move, slamming her fist to the area just above her left breast before dragging it slightly straight down. The guard nodded to her and opened the door, letting the cat faunus into the heart of the operation.

What she saw shocked her.

The small basement of the club used once for storage of simple spirits, soft drinks and food supplies before the battle had been turned into one of the biggest armouries Blake had ever seen. The area had been mined out to encompass what must have been at least an entire block of the city. The area was lit by huge spotlights, numerous Paladins, painted in the distinct bone white and blood red of the White Fang were standing in sets of four, and even more were striding around the room carrying huge boulders and trailers filled with rocks and other mining materials.

Blake slipped into the shadows behind her; skipping past the check in points stationed only a few meters in to the room. Luckily her entrance was perfectly unnoticed, the loud hum of activity along with the general busyness of the operation meant no one paid much attention to the single, unknown face that had just slipped in.

Blake could instantly see what they were doing here; the size of the operation was explained instantly. They were mining under the city, creating a series of tunnels and tracks that intersected with the sewers to give the White Fang almost unlimited access to even the most restricted sections of the city. The largest two tunnels led in familiar directions, one to the docks for Beacon and the other to the central district of Vale, and, if Blake was a gambling woman, right to where they were currently rebuilding the city.

That wasn't the worst thing they were doing here however. Blake noticed the crates on her way in, along with the hundreds more that had already been moved down here. Most were filled with food and water, many others with forms of dust to power the vast operations that was being run. However she had seen the boxes marked with the black tiger, it was a symbol the fang used only for their most precious of cargo. Blake had seen it used before on biological weapons, various gases designed to knockout entire garrisons of police or soldiers. She had also seen it used with the more powerful explosives, specially refined fire and energy dust designed to do one thing and one thing only, destroy.

Blake ducked behind a stack of crates as a solitary guard walked by, gun held lightly in his relaxed grasp. Blake made herself as small as possible, crouching low to remain unseen in the poorly lit gaps between the crates.

The guard passed by without incident.

Then, from her hidden place, squeezed tighter than one of Yang's hugs between two boxes, she heard him.

That voice, it was so familiar. She had heard it almost everyday for several years. It couldn't be anyone else, she was sure, but still she had to check. To see with her own eyes he'd survived and was here.

Blake slunk out from her hiding place, peering above the boxes to look towards the voice. He was right there, standing not twenty meters away from her, barking out orders in the distinctive, vicious snarl that was all too familiar.

So, he did survive the train. Blake hadn't been sure; none of the other White Fang members had survived or been so uninjured as to make it out of the wreckage of the train before the Grimm had descended upon them. However, Professor, sorry, Doctor Oobleck, Torchwick and even Zwei had all made it out so she supposed it was possible.

This was just her luck, one of only a handful of people who might have recognised her and he was running the very operation she had decided to shut down. _Good job Blake_ , she thought to herself, _good job._

"In just over a day the main drill will reach the central district. We must begin to set the explosive; we can't afford any delay lest we risk those _humans_ finding us. Everybody knows their assigned duties, so make it quick and get it done." Snarled Banesaw, his distinctive tattoos rippled with the immense muscle in his arm as he shook his fists towards the dispersing crowd.

Blake would have to act fact, she couldn't let the White Fang tunnel under the city, they would destroy everything all over again.

She needed a plan. Now

It would be risky. Foolish, even.

She should leave, reassess.

But tomorrow would be too late.

Her actions were hot headed, rash.

 _Just like Yang_.

Wait, Yang! That was it.

Fire.

Explosives.

She had a plan.

Sneaking back around the supply crates Blake melded into the nearest group of twenty or so White Fang. A few of them were talking amongst themselves and so no one noticed the black haired girl slide in behind them. She would need a Paladin, one of the black tiger crates and a huge slice of luck for this to work. Hopefully she could do it without killing too many people. She wished that number was zero, but she knew that was simply impossible.

Blake followed her group to the stash of black tiger boxes. Opening the lid she found exactly what she expected inside. Several arm length crystals or a distinctive bright orange colour, the result of mixing the fiery red and golden yellow an energy crystal together to form this compound.

She watched as the others took a box from the pile and wondered over to a Paladin each. Blake followed without breaking step, being sure to keep and eye out for the lieutenant, who was surely lurking amongst his workers, ensuring everyone did as instructed.

They placed the box on the floor in front of their Paladin and jumped in the machines, bringing it to life with a series of well learn actions. Blake took a second to open her box, and then pretended to examine her machine as she had seen Yang do to her previous bumblebee bike many times before. All the while she carefully slipped the explosive crystals in between the armour plating of her Paladin's legs and mid section. She was very cautious with the delicate crystals, which were highly unstable, hence the need to ship them in separate, specially marked containers.

Finally she finished her 'checks', stuffing the last crystal in behind the plate just below the knee, leaving one corner visible to her. She would be needing that soon. Blake jumped into the cockpit but didn't bother strapping herself in; she knew she wouldn't be in the machine for very long. She had hopped to be the first in line, but several had already beat her too it. It was a shame, but they could survive a few days during which time they could be dug out.

She knew they wouldn't be however.

Into the queue she went, managing to control the Paladin with only a little difficulty, these machines had been designed for use by the Atlas military, they weren't the most complicated of machines. In her mech's hands she held the now empty crate of explosives, if only to keep up appearances. Slowly she nudged forward with the rest. Whilst the tunnel was more than big enough for humans or faunus to walk down it threefold, it was only tall enough to allow Paladins to walk down the middle one at a time.

Finally she got to the tunnel entrance.

Blake jerked a lever in the cockpit, flinging the Paladin's arms around wildly. Next she jerked one of the machines legs, making it seem to all those outside the machine she had simply lost control of the machine. Finally she stepped into the tunnel, blocking off the others from making any progress before she thrust Gambol Shroud into the mass of electronics under the main console, forcing the lumbering machine the grind to a halt.

By now all eyes were on her.

Blake jumped from the cockpit and put as much distant between herself and the mech she could without ruining her plan, she would need to make the shot first time otherwise she's be swarmed before she could take a second. It was risky, but necessary. She had promised her teammates that the White Fang would no longer hurt them; she wouldn't allow them close to anything they held dear.

She had to do this.

"What is going on!" screamed a voice from her left. It was the same grisly snarl that had forced her hand in the first place. Banesaw stalked towards Blake, his chainsaw held menacingly at his side and he walked towards his incompetent worker.

Then he saw her.

Her.

Blake Belladonna.

Behind his mask his eyes widened in fury. His chainsaw began to rev at the flick of his wrist and he gave a low growl as the bear like man charged towards his prey. Blake knew the game was up; all around her the other members moved away, it wasn't unlike Banesaw to physically discipline those who he felt had failed to contribute enough to the war effort.

She turned and flicked Gambol Shroud into its pistol form, taking only the quickest of glances as she aimed for the speck of orange sticking out from her Paladins leg.

 _Bang._

She took the shot.

* * *

 **A/N: Well that's this weeks chapter done. I really had trouble finding the time to write this so hopefully I'll be able to review and edit it some more once I've got the time. As always this is unbeta'd, so be a star and point out my spelling and/or grammar mistakes so I can fix them.**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I love you all in a totally platonic way.**


	9. A Power Like No Other

**A/N** : I'M BACK BABY. Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

A Power Like No Other

She had been training for two long weeks now, and she was still nothing but a shadow of her former self. Whatever power her mother claimed she possessed, it was staying well and truly hidden.

Except it wasn't.

Ever since that explosion there had this _voice_. It wasn't a voice she recognised, but it was intimately familiar to her all the same, as if she had heard every day for years. It was just there, lingering in the back of her mind. It didn't say much, locked away as it was for the most part. But when it did come out, when it did speak…

She listened.

She was sparring again with her mother, trying to learn to channel this _anger_ that burned inside her. With every near miss of her mothers blade she felt the flames burn under her skin just that little bit brighter, she heard that voice in her head just a little louder. It didn't say much, but what it did say was making a lot of sense.

 _Kill_.

Her mother's blade burned against her aura, chipping away the final vestiges of her protective barrier, leaving her bare and exposed to the world. Her skin burned, the flames begging to rush to her aid.

Yang managed to avoid the next few attacks, rolling and skirting around on the tips of her feet as her mothers blade crashed through the air with all the swiftness and precision of a lightning bolt. It was impossible to get through Raven's guard, every deliberate opening lasted only long enough to tease her slow and lethargic form before it snapped shut and she was on the defensive again.

The next attack sliced across her guard. The blade's edge scrapped off the remaining gauntlet of Ember Celica and raked down her unshielded skin, drawing a line of crimson. The drawing of blood was usually what drew a round of sparing to an end.

Not this time however. No, this time was different. Her mother wasn't stopping. Her sword flashed down again, poised to strike at her neck. Had she not seen the blood? Did she not know Yang's aura was entirely depleted? Or did she just not care?

 _Let me help you_.

There was the voice again.

 _You want to win don't you? To beat her?_

Of course that's what she wanted. She had spent every waking minute being tossed around by her mother. She was bruised and battered beyond belief, and she had accumulated more scars in the past two weeks than during her entire time at Signal Academy, maybe even Beacon too.

 _Let me help you._

She didn't have time to argue, her mothers blade was still bearing in on her throat, intent on removing her head from her shoulders. It was far too close to stop now, already well within her guard. She closed her eyes; she hadn't the will to fight the deadly blow.

Except her eyes were forced open. She could feel them burn; she felt her entire body burn as the flames burst forth from her skin. Her eyes glowed gold as the power inside her was finally unleashed. From her body flew a blast of flames, shaped like a bird with its wings outstretched. It crashed into Raven before the older woman could even complete her swing, throwing her across the room and crashing her into the wall.

Yang paused, shocked by her own actions. To her credit, Raven recovered with all the skill and grace expected of her. In a flash she was back on the offensive, moving forward to reengage Yang, the faintest hint of… a smile? Surely not, she must have taken to many blows to the head

Yang saw two more streams of flame burst from her skin, headed straight towards her mother. The dark-haired swordsman ducked under one and leaped over the other, closing the distance with deadly elegance and ease. Yang was ready this time however; she regained her senses enough to unleash a shot from her gauntlet, aimed at her mother's feet. At the same time she launched herself in the air to where she knew her mother would end up, and, true to form her mother leaped the explosive round, only to find herself staring down the fury of her daughter.

Yang brought her fist down towards her mother, engulfed in white-hot flame. Through the air it burned, building power beyond anything Yang had ever felt. She could have sworn she saw the blood red eyes of her mother widen ever so slightly as it steamed its way towards her.

Then, she was on the ground. Her body smashed against the cold floor and all her energy left her. She hadn't even seen Raven redirect her strike. Yet again she was left beaten and broken on the floor. Yet again she had failed.

Her eyes closed, and she knew no more.

When she next opened her eyes, she was still on the cold floor of the sparring room. Raven was standing over her, eyes staring down at Yang. There was a glint in them that Yang couldn't identify… was that… no, it couldn't be.

Was it pride?

"Did you feel it?"

Yang knew exactly what she was referring to. She _had_ felt it. It was intoxicating; she was already craving the rush again. She had felt more powerful than ever before, she could have levelled an entire city with the power inside her.

"Yes."

"Good." There was that flash of… something… again, in her eyes. "Then perhaps you will be ready in time, or ready enough at least."

"Ready enough for what?"

Raven gave pause, as if she was considering whether or not to answer her daughter. It seems the side that Yang was rooting for won, as she opened her mouth once again to speak.

"You have three days to learn to control this power. The flames Yang, you can shape them to your every want, your every need. One day you'll be able to feel them as an extension of yourself. For now, all I need from you is to form yourself an arm Yang. You'll need both of them if you are to succeed in this mission."

Her mother's words served only to confuse her further. "Three days? I don't… an arm… of fire? I can't even, it was the… I… what mission?"

"The White Fang has found one of your friends."

* * *

If you're wondering where i've been, I broke my arm playing sport and got some pretty severe nerve damage as a result. I couldn't type or do anything for nearly two months! Physio's going well though, so all's good.


End file.
